Great City, Decent Administration, Classes are a Joke Past Review
By A student (Political Science, International Studies, and Chinese, Trinity University) - abroad from 02/20/2012 to 06/08/2012 with
IES Abroad: Shanghai - Economy, Business & Society
My Chinese improved a bit. The experience itself is worth going for. The sights, the food, the people, and just the change in lifestyle that comes with living in China is remarkable.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The only difficult class I took while abroad was a Chinese language course. The rest were silly and easy. The only assignment in most was a final paper and several students only attended class a couple of times and were still able to get an A or a B. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was great. They were always willing to help out and tried to plan interesting activities and trips for us to take |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Fantastic housing. The only downside was that everyone in the building spoke English and so I rarely ever spoke Chinese when at home. |
| * Food: |
The local restaurants and vendors sell cheap, delicious food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
If I had wanted to, I could have hid in the IES bubble the entire semester and never learned any Chinese or even really interacted with other Chinese people. You have to go out on your own to really experience the local culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never got sick or hurt, but my friend did and got hit with a massive bill. The care he received, however, was fine. |
| * Safety: |
I never feared for my safety in Shanghai, much less at the university |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Everything in China is relatively affordable other than luxury goods and food and drinks at western style bars and restaurants. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Roughly 200 yuan, so around 30-35 USD |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't pay for drinks at clubs, don't get ripped off when bargaining, and don't eat at any restaurants that you can eat at in the United States |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
They encouraged us to use it, but didn't force us to use it like they do in language intensive programs and they rarely put us in situations where we were forced to use it. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Chinese 3301-1 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Talk to food vendors and shop owners, make Chinese friends, and dedicate mandatory time each day where you and your friends have to speak Chinese. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That I would learn nothing from my non-Chinese language courses. Also, I realized too late that hanging out most of the time with English speakers would take away from the experience. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
